Guest view of Danis Russell: Our country is failing the mentally ill -- but why is anyone surprised?

I am responding to the guest view of Judge Neithercut (FJ 1-8-14). I don't disagree with most of what he said, I just wanted to add my thoughts. I am not, and never have considered myself, any kind of expert. I have the perspective of having spent my entire professional career -- almost 40 years -- working at all levels of the public mental health system, in three states.

Judge Neithercut provides a very accurate summary of one of the major problems: The old, inhumane “asylums” were closed down and were to be replaced with community treatment. Closing some of the institutions was the right thing to do. The problem is inadequate funding followed the patients to the community. No matter where I have been, the scenario has been the same: Mental health has never received the money it needs. There has always been some initiative that was more important. It is uncanny how consistent this has been through the different settings and decades. The critics will say the system mismanaged money and/or just enabled people to be lazy. I probably agree with both of those sentiments more than would be expected. But they are a minor part of the problem.

As Mr. Jordan, one of the online commenters, points out, the real problem is that nobody, outside of a small group of advocates, really cares about people with serious mental illness.

In Genesee County, we have built a sophisticated, extensive, highly regarded system of care. But we can’t treat the type of individual the judge talks about. We live in a society that places great value individual freedom. The long-held belief of our system, supported by relevant law, has always been: As long as they are not a risk to themselves or others, they have the right to be mentally ill, and it is not society’s (or the mental health system’s) business. This has not worked well.

The system is not broken, but it does need major repairs. Maybe all the recent tragedies will somehow make more people care beyond sound bites when cameras are no longer present. I hear people say Washington is sending you millions of new dollars. For the record, I have yet to see or hear when that will hit Genesee County. We are mostly dealing with the most recent round of cutbacks.

In spite of a well-earned cynical side, I do believe that the system could change. But it will be extremely difficult. It will take a long, concerted effort on the part of many people, beyond those who are directly affected by mental illness. Granting someone or some group the power to infringe on someone’s personal freedom, when they have not broken the law, is not something that will happen quickly or easily. It will take a lot of people to care a lot. And it will take a lot of money.

As I was thinking about how to end this article, I read a review of a new book written by Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, "American Psychosis: How the Federal Government Destroyed the Mental Illness Treatment System." Torrey is a well-known and controversial psychiatrist who has been highly critical of the mental health system for many years. In his book, Torrey says that the system can be fixed, but it would take actions that would be difficult and very unpopular.

On this topic, he said: “The freedom to be insane is a cruel hoax, perpetrated on those who cannot think clearly by those who will not think clearly.”

Maybe if enough of us can think clearly enough, for long enough, there might be a chance.